DOHA, QATAR, May 16 — A spectacular men’s javelin competition highlighted the Jetour Doha Meeting on a warm evening at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium. Julian Weber put together a superlative series, capped by a final round effort of 298-9 (91.06) to score the win at the third Diamond League stop of the season.
India’s Neeraj Chopra took the early lead with his opening toss of 290-2 (88.44). In the third round he exploded with the first 90m-plus throw of his career, hitting 296-0 (90.23) to improve on his 295-1 (89.94) PR, which dated to ’22.
Weber, who finished 6th in the Olympics last summer and came into the meet with a PR 293-9 (89.54) that also dated to 2022, found his groove with a 292-2 (89.06) immediately after Chopra’s breakthrough. The German followed up with 288-10 (88.05) and a PR 294-9 (89.84) in the next two rounds, then finally uncorked his monster throw on his last attempt of the evening to move into the lead from Chopra.
“I just felt amazing today. I don’t know how that happened, because the last week wasn’t that good for me,” said Weber, who had a tooth pulled and had been sick with a virus in the leadup to the meet. “It was so much fun. With Neeraj throwing his first 90 meters, with me, my first 90 meters, in the last round, the winning throw, just perfect. I was really happy for him. We’ve both been fighting for 90 meters for a long time and we both did it today, so it was really special for us.”
Chopra, the reigning world champion now being coached by WR holder Jan Železný, said the groin issues that have plagued him the last two years are resolved.
Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo ran his first 200 of the season, and while his winning time (20.10) wasn’t exceptional, he certainly made it entertaining. The Botswana started to gap Courtney Lindsey, a lane to his outside, in the final 50m, then with 10m to go he turned to Lindsey and eased into a jog, barely getting the win, by 0.01.
“It’s all about enjoying the race. This was my first race [over 200] and once the season gets tough, throughout the season I won’t be able to enjoy it,” Tebogo said of his theatrics. And he knows that having the Olympic gold makes him a target of his rivals. “I want to finish this season on a high note,” he said. “I have to send a few messages out there to the people that I’m somewhere there in the mix. They shouldn’t be comfortable, I’m around.”
Tebogo’s countryman Tshepiso Masalela took the 800, closing well down the homestretch to finish in 1:43.11. Bryce Hoppel, who had appeared to be fading on the final turn, rallied well to finish 2nd in a U.S.-leading 1:43.26, just ahead of Wyclife Kinyamal (1:43.37).
Faith Cherotich won a thrilling last-lap women’s steeple duel with Olympic champion Winfred Yavi, clocking 9:05.08. Yavi moved to the lead with two laps to go and entering the final turn only Cherotich could match her acceleration. Off the final barrier, Cherotich, the bronze medalist in Paris, shifted gears and edged Yavi (9:05.26).
Jamaican Tia Clayton pulled away from the 100 field and scored an emphatic win over her twin sister, Tina, 10.92–11.02 (wind: +2.0). Great Britain’s Amy Hunt (11.03) took 3rd while 38-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, twice an Olympic gold medalist in the event, was 4th in 11.05.
“It was very special to me to know that my sister and me can come out here, back like we used to do in high school, and show the world what we’re made of,” said the winner, who finished 7th at the Olympics last year.
Australia’s Matt Denny led the discus from start to finish, opening with 220-10 (67.33) and then launching a 226-3 (68.97) in the final round. Swede Daniel Ståhl took 2nd in 220-0 (67.06).
Salwa Eid Naser or Bahrain went out hard in the 400 and dominated the entire race before crossing the line in 49.83, more than a second ahead of Olympic bronze medalist Natalia Bukowiecka (50.92).
Daniel Roberts led in the 110H before crashing hurdle 4, after which the field swallowed him up. The Olympic silver medalist faded to 7th (in 13.49) as Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell dominated the latter stages and won comfortably in 13.14.
After a sluggish pace for the first 10 laps of the men’s 5000 (the pacer had opened up a gap of about 80m on the field at one point), likely due to temperatures at 91 degrees (33 C), Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot, the World Junior 1500 champion in ’22, uncorked a 54.19 last lap to take the win in 13:16.40. Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu finished 2nd over Birhanu Balew of Bahrain, both timed in 13:17.70. American Cooper Teare had lost contact before the final dash began and finished 13th in 13:39.16.
The women’s 1500 followed a similar script, with the pack ignoring the pacer and settling into a tactical affair (2:17 at 800m). Nelly Chepchirchir of Kenya sprinted home nicely to win in 4:05.00, thanks to a 57.1 final lap, followed by Susan Ejore (4:06.27) and Jemma Reekie (4:07.33).
Shelby McEwen cleared 7-5 (2.26) on his first attempt to win the high jump, then missed three times at 7-6½ (2.30). Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts won the triple jump at 48-3 ½ (14.72) over Olympic champion Thea LaFond, who reached 46-10¾ (14.29). Great Britain’s Molly Caudery cleared 15-7 (4.75) to win the women’s vault, with Roberta Bruni and Katie Moon tied for 2nd at 15-2¼ (4.63).
DOHA DL MEN’S RESULTS
200(0.7): 1. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 20.10; 2. Courtney Lindsey (US) 20.11; 3. Joe Fahnbulleh (Lbr) 20.26; 4. Aaron Brown (Can) 20.35; 5. Filippo Tortu (Ita) 20.41; 6. Kyree King (US) 20.61; 7. Shaun Maswanganyi (SA) 20.78.
800: 1. Tshepiso Masalela (Bot) 1:43.11 (WL); 2. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:43.26 (out AL);
3. Wyclife Kinyamal (Ken) 1:43.37; 4. Slimane Moula (Alg) 1:43.55; 5. Ibrahim Abass Chuot (Qat) 1:44.08; 6. Andreas Kramer (Swe) 1:44.84; 7. Abdelati El Guesse (Mor) 1:45.02; 8. Aaron Cheminingwa (Ken) 1:45.21;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (49.51).
5000: 1. Reynold Cheruiyot (Ken) 13:16.40; 2. Dominic Lobalu (Swi) 13:17.70; 3. Birhanu Balew (Bhr) 13:17.70; 4. Samuel Tefera (Eth) 13:18.63; 5. Edwin Kurgat (Ken) 13:19.32; 6. Cornelius Kemboi (Ken) 13:20.43; 7. Mohamed Abdilaahi (Ger) 13:20.86;… 12. Cooper Teare (US) 13:39.16.
110H(1.1): 1. Rasheed Broadbell (Jam) 13.14; 2. Jamal Britt (US) 13.25; 3. Enrique Llopis (Spa) 13.27; 4. Asier Martínez (Spa) 13.42; 5. Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli (Ita) 13.44; 6. Oumar Doudai Abakar (Qat) 13.46; 7. Daniel Roberts (US) 13.49; 8. Yaqoub Alyouha (Kuw) 14.26.
400H: 1. Alessandro Sibilio (Ita) 49.32; 2. İsmail Nezir (Tur) 49.40; 3. Matic Ian Guček (Slo) 49.49; 4. Carl Bengtström (Swe) 49.87; 5. CJ Allen (US) 49.90; 6. Nick Smidt (Neth) 49.99.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Shelby McEwen (US) 7-5 (2.26); 2. tie, Hamish Kerr (NZ) & Ryoichi Akamatsu (Jpn) 7-3¾ (2.23); 4. tie, Romaine Beckford (Jam) & Vernon Turner (US) 7-2½ (2.20).
DT: 1. Matt Denny (Aus) 226-3 (68.97); 2. Daniel Ståhl (Swe) 220-0 (67.06); 3. Kristjan Čeh (Slo) 219-7 (66.92); 4. Henrik Janssen (Ger) 215-10 (65.79); 5. Sam Mattis (US) 214-0 (65.24); 6. Lawrence Okoye (GB) 213-3 (65.01); 7. Fedrick Dacres (Jam) 212-7 (64.81).
JT: 1. Julian Weber (Ger) 298-9 (91.06) (WL) (17, x W) (275-0, 280-9, 292-2, 288-10, 294-9, 298-9 [WL]) (83.82, 85.57, 89.06, 88.05, 89.84, 91.06);
2. Neeraj Chopra (Ind) 296-0 (90.23) NR (290-2, f, 296-0 [WL], 264-4, f, 289-4) (88.44, f, 90.23, 80.56, f, 88.20);
3. Anderson Peters (Grn) 281-0 (85.64); 4. Keshorn Walcott (Tri) 277-8 (84.65); 5. Ahmed Sameh Mohamed Hussein (Egy) 265-7 (80.95); 6. Oliver Helander (Fin) 261-2 (79.61); 7. Jakub Vadlejch (CzR) 261-2 (79.60); 8. Kishore Jena (Ind) 257-10 (78.60); 9. Julius Yego (Ken) 257-7 (78.52); 10. Roderick Genki Dean (Jpn) 250-11 (76.49).
DOHA WOMEN’S RESULTS
200(2.0): 1. Tia Clayton (Jam) 10.92; 2. Tina Clayton (Jam) 11.02; 3. Amy Hunt (GB) 11.03; 4. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jam) 11.05; 5. Patrizia Van Der Weken (Lux) 11.05; 6. Maia McCoy (Lbr) 11.10; 7. Zoe Hobbs (NZ) 11.27; 8. Mujinga Kambundji (Swi) 11.49.
400: 1. Salwa Eid Naser (Bhr) 49.83; 2. Natalia Bukowiecka (Pol) 50.92; 3. Lieke Klaver (Neth) 51.12; 4. Sada Williams (Bar) 51.32; 5. Shafiqua Maloney (StV) 51.54; 6. Susanne Gogl-Walli (Aut) 51.91.
1500: 1. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 4:05.00; 2. Susan Ejore (Ken) 4:06.27; 3. Jemma Reekie (GB) 4:07.33; 4. Saron Berhe (Eth) 4:07.87; 5. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 4:08.77; 6. Elsabet Amare (Eth) 4:08.97; 7. Teresia Gateri (Ken) 4:09.62; 8. Tigist Girma (Eth) 4:09.89; 9. Weronika Lizakowska (Pol) 4:10.66; 10. Samrawit Mulugeta (Eth) 4:10.81; 11. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 4:11.76; 12. Bayise Tolesa (Eth) 4:15.20; 13. Mebriht Mekonen (Eth) 4:16.35;… rabbit—Khadija Benkassem (Mor) (63.6).
St: 1. Faith Cherotich (Ken) 9:05.08; 2. Winfred Yavi (Bhr) 9:05.26; 3. Sembo Almayew (Eth) 9:09.27; 4. Norah Jeruto (Kaz) 9:11.78; 5. Marwa Bouzayani (Tun) 9:12.13; 6. Parul Chaudhary (Ind) 9:13.39; 7. Peruth Chemutai (Uga) 9:15.55;… 10. Val Constien (US) 9:33.19.
Field Events
PV: 1. Molly Caudery (GB) 15-7 (4.75); 2. tie, Roberta Bruni (Ita) & Katie Moon (US) 15-2¼ (4.63); 4. tie, Sandi Morris (US) & Emily Grove (US) 15-2¼; 6. Tina Šutej (Slo) 14-8¼ (4.48); 7. Gabriela Leon (US) 14-8¼; 8. Alysha Newman (Can) 14-8¼.
